With no foreseeable happy ending to the HD-DVD/Blu-ray format war, NEC has done us all a favor today by shipping a chip that is compatible with both formats.

According to Reuters, "the chips go on sale for 10,000 yen ($84), roughly the same price as NEC Electronics' chips which read only Blu-ray or only HD DVD formats." Players incorporating the new chip will be available sometime early 2007, reports AkibaNews.

While we now have silicon to rule both formats, the optical pick-up lens capable of reading both HD-DVD and Blu-ray is still currently in development. Until such a hybrid pick-up becomes reality, dual-players must utilize two separate lenses, which no doubt drives up costs.

A NEC spokesperson commented that a hybrid chip and optical pick-up would likely make up more than half of the cost of a player.

Developments to bridge the gap between the two warring formats isn't exclusive to hardware. Warner recently filed a patent outlining plans of a hybrid-disc that will be compatible with both HD-DVD and Blu-ray by means of layering one format on top of the other.

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The rate at which both current HD-DVD and Blu-Ray players are selling right now is a YAWN.

The PS3 even with the price you poor whiners cannot afford. will get this. SELL-OUT. People were standing inline for PRE-ORDERS for the ps3.

The 1st 600,000 are as good as sold. As are the first 2 million.

Tell me if HD-DVD can sell 2 million players by the time the PS3 does.

And even if the Blu-Ray is not the main reason a person gets a ps3.

Once you have a few million gamers with ps3's, and they go to a store, and have an itch for a Hi-Def movie, which format are they getting? HD-DVD.. where they have to spend another 500 bucks, or Blu-Ray where they have to spend the 30 bucks for the disk?

And thats millions of eyes that can look and buy a blu-ray disk.

As much as alot of people around here hate sony. (its sickening.. I read avsforums, where people are like crazy about audio and video, and theres not nearly anywhere close to this Sony hate).

So as much as people here on Dailytech hate sony. the ps3 will still sell MILLIONs (even if it fails).

Theres so much Blu-Ray FUD here its like some of you work here for Toshiba (The only company really behind HD-DVD)

You are kidding yourself. They hate Sony even more over at AVS. I ahve been going thier for over 6 years and Sony has went from greatness to pure crap.

As far as HD-DVD or BLueray I'm all for HD. Sony could not even put out BLueplay for thier laptop that could play the dvd they had out. Thats insane. Sorry but BLue is just not a ready yet. In about 1 year thier players should be good but but that time you have $100 HD-DVD burns for the PC out.

Blue will never be as PC friendly as HD-DVD, so I dont care if they can got o 50GB over HD 30GB. I want a standard that I can use.

I'd agree that SXRD does look good, even if its just a sony name on another technology.

But heres a good one for you. A friend of mine bought an SXRD 1080p with HDMI, etc right before the HD formats copy protection info was released (so months after sony knew) and now he has a 4500 tv that doesn't support HDCP. I mean it's not like Sony didnt know they were going to need it for BR, so why even put out a 1080p without HDCP?

OK then. Millions of gamers have 360s right now. Not preorders that are going to be sold on eBay, physical units in their home AV setup. In order to play HD-DVDs, all they'll need to do is buy the $200 HD-DVD drive. If they want to play Blu-ray, they'll need to somehow buy the $600 drive known as the PS3 (scratch that, the $2000 drive known as "PS3 from eBay").

Furthermore, the average Joe looking for a cheap HD player this Christmas will, due to the fact that standalone players are more expensive, either try to buy a PS3 or a 360 with a HD-DVD. The average Joe will be able to buy a 360 and the drive. The average Joe will not be able to buy a PS3.

Does this mean HD-DVD will win? I dunno. Will the future turn out in the way that I've outlined? I dunno. I think they're likely scenarios, but I'm no expert. I personally think that lower-than-expected sales will drive the two camps to dialog and allow hybrid players. But just because the PS3 is coming out doesn't mean that Blu-ray will win.

Also, in response to what everyone's saying that this is "Sony versus Toshiba", copied straight from Wikipedia (these are all partial lists, mind you, the full lists are much longer):

just reading that list (of support), should make sony bashers and haters, STFU.

Just like hd-dvd has some support (honeslty compare the full lists, and Blu-ray has greater support)

Look at all the people making blu-ray.

APPLE,
DELL,
SAMSUNG
PIONEER
LG
SONY
PANASONIC.

The HD-DVD Camp that is on that list is much more 'software & studio' heavy. The Blu-ray list hardly lists studio's, but that list is tiny because theres a 170 groups behind blu-ray.

So this is not a sony techonolgy being forced on everyone by sony.

I'll stand by my claim that Toshiba is much more forcing there technology then sony. The list of manufactures on there side is what? Toshiba, NEC, Intel(and intel is much more interested in pushing there software. i.e. VIIV) then there hardware.

And the blu-ray people are almost heads and tails above the Blu-ray camp in making higher end Displays and display technoloy. Some of which include the best in class techs. (sony/samsung LCDS) Samsung DLPs, Sony SXRD, Pioneer Plasmas.

And unles some miracle happens, never has a add on (ie HD-DVD addon) drive had any success in the market.

Where as the ps3 blu-ray combo is automatic.

Heres another way to think about it.

If i was going to buy the hd-dvd drive, for 300 bucks more I could have a ps3.